1 – A day in Haiti. Our painting excursion was super fun.
2 – A lazy day at sea. It was a rainy, windy day so I read on the deck for a little bit, played some Bingo, and watched the Christmas tree lighting.
3 – Home sweet home. It was so good to see my kitties again and sleep in my own bed.
4 – Getting out my Christmas tree and starting to decorating it. It makes my home look so festive!
5 – Back to work after a week and a half off. I got myself a peppermint mocha to help me get through my inbox (nearly 400 emails to sort through, yay).
6 – Clean sheets. It’s the simple things, sometimes.
7 – Receiving presents from friends! It was so fun that Anne was my Secret Santa for San’s mug swap and, of course, Kim always sends me the most thoughtful gifts!
8 – A really great nap (and I’m equally thankful for a flexible job where I can lay down and take a nap if I’m feeling extra sleepy).
9 – Finishing season 2 of Only Murders in the Building! What a fun season!
10 – A big day of friend time: writing date with Mikaela, lunch and making gingerbread houses with coworkers, and a belated birthday dinner with Amber in the evening.
11 – Making peanut butter blossoms while watching football with the fam. I think peanut butter blossoms might be my favorite cookie ever?!
12 – Taking a mid-morning nap after having to be up early for a meeting with our team in India.
13 – Doing some Christmas browsing at Target and then going to PetSmart and fawning over the kittens. I tried to trick my mom that I got one, but she didn’t believe me. Wah!
14 – tWitch died by suicide today. I am so, so sad. It’s hard to find the positive in today. Seeing how much his death has affected so many of us shows what a big impact he had.
15 – Helping my mom pick out new glasses! Afterward, I met her back at her house where Robert had a yummy dinner waiting and we watched the Survivor finale together.
16 – Recording a podcast episode with Bri and then watching a super cute Christmas movie together (Noelle).
17 – A big Christmassy day! Mom and I took Chip and Lucy to PetSmart for pictures with Santa. Then, we went to Robert’s Christmas Wonderland and to Target for Christmas shopping.
18 – Our annual Christmas cookie decorating night!
19 – Watching Reels that lifted my spirits during a night of high anxiety.
20 – A really easy workday that was much needed because my anxiety has been really bad lately and focusing on work has been difficult.
21 – Having a fun time at our virtual work Christmas party; taking a drive with my mom and Robert to view the lights in a neighborhood that goes all out every year
22 – My annual viewing of Elf!
23 – A low-key day to myself. I made the batter for Christmas cookies, took a long nap, and read a book in a day.
24 – Christmas Eve! I went to a really beautiful Christmas Eve service at an affirming church with my mom and stepdad. (The pastor even gave his pronouns!) Afterward, we had our annual fancy steakhouse dinner!
25 – A wonderful Christmas! I got so many things I wanted, including a FitBit Versa, pet camera, stand mixer, rolling cart, and wall clock. I was appropriately spoiled! It was also nice having cold weather for Christmas – in the low 30s!
26 – A day off where I didn’t get out of my pajamas for the whole day.
27 – Recording podcast episodes with Bri! Also, giving Bri her Christmas gifts. She’s always so appreciative of gifts, and it makes me feel good.
28 – Book club! Bri had us play this really fun game that’s apparently been all over TikTok. It’s a lot to explain, so just look at this TikTok if you’re curious. (We used oven mitts on both hands to make it harder!) We were crying from laughter!
29 – De-Christmassing my apartment! As much as I love to turn my apartment into Stephany’s Christmas Wonderland throughout the year, I loooove putting it all away and returning my home to its normal look.
30 – Putting together my new cart. I love it so much!
31 – A coffee date with Amber where we talked about our 2023 goals and just chit-chatted about life in general.